The Choo-Choo Choke
by leeg22
Summary: *FINAL CHAPTER NOW UP* APOLOGIES FOR THE DELAY! An unsolved case lands at UCOS regarding the death of a university student at a vintage railway station. The pathologist's report was confused and the prime suspect wrongly implicated, but can Sandra and her team solve the case and do it before the victim's last living relative dies to give them peace?
1. Chapter 1

NEW TRICKS:

THE CHOO-CHOO CHOKE:

Chapter 1

* * *

Sandra sighed. She was late, something she knew she could have prevented but didn't. She tried to quietly make it to the UCOS office and avoid the eye of Strickland, and to her relief she made it. Pushing the door open, Sandra saw Gerry at his desk looking worse for wear while Steve was reading the paper and Brian was occupied by a ship in a bottle. It was just another day in the office for Sandra. She took a deep breath and just smiled at everyone.  
"Morning!" she said brightly, which was met with half-hearted responses from her colleagues. Gerry's was a cough, Steve's a shrug and Brian's a grumble. Sandra half expected as much but still wasn't pleased as she headed into her office. Things weren't helped a couple of minutes later by the sudden arrival of Strickland with a file in his hand, presumably one of a new case for UCOS. He swiftly left soon after handing the file to Gerry.  
"Guvnor," Gerry then called. "We've got a file. Brian's gonna put it on the board."  
"Fine," sighed Sandra as she stood at the door of her office. "Go ahead then."  
"Patience Sandra," cooled Brian. "I'm just putting it together." he continued as Steve picked up the cover sheet of the file. He looked at it somewhat puzzled.  
"Vintage railway?" he said. "Are we CSI Victorian era now or something? Standing, Lane, McAndrew and the plucky Pullman at their side?!"  
"Feels like it at times," smiled Gerry. Brian smiled too. Sandra though wasn't.  
"Vintage railway?" she asked to get back to the point.  
"Hmm," began Brian. "Precisely that of the murder of a Jasper Monif – a 20-year-old found on the rails of the Oak Vintage Line in the early morning of September 19, 2001. Jasper worked at the line as a general line manager during the summer months when he wasn't studying at university for his degree in business management. He was found face down on the line by Emily Norwich. She was and still is the tea shop lady at the station and she found him as she walked into work that day." he continued as he pinned a picture up on the board.  
"Cause of death?" quizzed Steve.  
"Unsure," came Brian's answer. "The pathologist seemed to think it was strangulation although they pointed out that the marks found on his neck were not of a sufficient enough impression to cause death."  
"So, he was strangled, but not strangled?" observed Sandra. "How does that work? Did he have other injuries?" she then asked. Brian reeled off a list of minor injuries including bruises and cuts across his body, but there was nothing significant that could have led to the death.  
"Any suspects?" Gerry then asked as he looked over the crime scene photos. "Anything unusual other than being face down on the rail tracks of a vintage line?"  
"Jasper's colleague and friend Colin Maklov was arrested on suspicion of the murder but the police in charge made a cock-up and contaminated a DNA sample. Maklov's sample crossed with those found on Jasper and they added the two together and got –"  
"A mess," summed up Steve. "I take it that it wasn't Maklov then?" Brian nodded no. Steve then looked at the picture of Jasper's body on the line. Something about it was strange to him, but he wasn't quite sure what it was. "Does no-one else see something odd about this all?" he asked to the others. Sandra moved in closer to the board and looked at the image.  
"The body looks more posed than anything," she said. "He didn't fall out of a carriage or anything did he?" Again Brian nodded no.  
"Don't you think he looks a bit too…clean? You know, for a body on the line?" Steve then suggested. Gerry nodded in agreement.  
"There's something odd about it," he agreed.  
"But to be honest without any real lead, what can we do with this? Why have we got it anyway?" Sandra asked.  
"Jasper's only living relative is dying," said Brian as he held one of the report's pages to the others. "Corrine, his aunt, she's got cancer, ovarian. She wants to know."  
"Still doesn't explain how we got it though, however sad it is." said Sandra. She was about to look over the papers more closely when Strickland re-entered the UCOS office.  
"Corrine's an associate with some of my family, Sandra" he answered to Pullman. "It's as simple as that, but what do we think about it, the case?"  
"It's a bit…lacking…" said Gerry. "No hook to it."  
"Find one then," came Strickland's stern response. "You've got nothing else lined up and were not having taxpayers pay their money so Gerry can recover from hangovers, Steve to read the Racing Post and Brian to do lord knows what. It's your case now, so there you go."  
"Oh, but sir," protested Sandra. "A police cock-up in the DNA and a confused autopsy finding…is this really the kind of thing we look into?"  
"It's exactly what UCOS does, so do it, Pullman." Strickland answered in his commanding tone and swiftly left. As the door then swung shut, Sandra picked up some of the cases key papers, handed some to Gerry and Steve and then got her coat.  
"You heard him, get on with it then." she said.  
"And what about you?" asked Steve as he got out his glasses.  
"I'm going to the railway. Brian, you're coming too. I'm sure you'll like it. Just don't give me a lecture on vintage railways, that's all."  
"I can't promise." said Brian as he ruffled his hair nervously. "Trains are wonderful things, you can't deny that. Some of the world's most famous things are trains…the Flying Scotsman! The Mallard!"  
"And Thomas the flipping Tank Engine," sighed Sandra. "Get your coat, Brian." she then commanded as she headed off. Brian followed while Steve and Gerry began to look into things…

Sandra's car pulled up into the car park at the Oak Vintage Line. Leaves were strewn all around the area even though it wasn't autumn. The place looked quaint and lovely and Brian just looked in awe of it all. Sandra just treated it at nothing but a possible place of solving the case.  
"Does Maklov still work here?" she asked to Brian who had with him some notes on the case. He fumbled through the notes.  
"Er, everyone who was here on that day but a Felicity Wright are still here. Felicity went off to work in Brighton according to these within a year of Monif's death."  
"Let's chat with Maklov then," suggested Sandra as she locked up the car and the pair proceeded towards the vintage line's station and waiting area.

After being directed by the station receptionist to where Colin was, Sandra and Brian slowly walked towards him. He hadn't clocked them but it was clear to them that he wasn't someone who took too much pride in their appearance, he looked quite shabby for an official worker.  
"Colin Maklov?" Sandra then asked as she flashed her police ID to Colin. He turned round.  
"Yeah, what?" he asked.  
"I'm Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman from the Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad, this is my colleague Brian Lane and were re-looking into the death of your former colleague Jasper Monif."  
"Oh, piss off!" scolded Colin. "That old can of worms? Really? It was your lot that thought it was me that killed him and then they were the ones to have ballsed it all up. Just piss off you pair. I'm not having that brought up again."  
"With all due respect Mr Maklov, it is still an unsolved case and bearing in mind the previous problems, we are looking to make amends for it all," Sandra then pointed out as she tried to keep Colin as calm as she could. It was clear that he was already riled with even the faintest mention of the case. Colin just sighed and looked away from Sandra and Brian for a moment before he then faced them again.  
"What do you want to know exactly?" he asked. "I can take an early break if necessary…"  
"Whatever is needed Mr Maklov," said Brian. "We do appreciate your co-operation." he added as Colin then began to lead them away to a seating area.

"Steve?" asked Gerry back at the office. "Don't you think it's a bit suspicious that the pathologist marked strangulation as the cause of death but made very firm notes saying there was a high uncertainty about it?"  
"It is strange," admitted Steve who was rifling through the case files. "But you do have to trust the professionals. Although we are here to question those kind of things I suppose. What was the pathologists name again?"  
"Kerry Croft…"  
"She sounds nice," smiled Steve.  
"I don't think _he'd_ be too pleased with that." corrected Gerry with a big grin on his face. Steve's smile vanished in an instant. "Although, he may find your appreciation quite flattering." he added with a giggle at the end. Steve felt somewhat embarrassed and just pulled a silly face at Gerry.  
"Oh, you just get on with what you need to do! Man or otherwise, we need a chat with Kerry and I can't think of anything better than that right now, so I'm off! Geronimo Gerry!" he said as he dumped the papers on his desk and headed out of the office. Gerry was still smiling at the Kerry situation but knew Strickland would soon be down to check on progress and some had to be made…

"Right," began Colin as Sandra and Brian sat opposite him. "Me and Jasper were mates, best mates. We'd known each other since secondary school – I came here when we left school, he went university. I was the one that got him the summer job here, I put in a good word for him."  
"Sorry to interrupt, but if Jasper was at university, why was he found dead in late September?" interjected Brian. "Wouldn't he have been at uni?"  
"It was a Wednesday when they found him, but his Tuesday's were pretty much free. He came in on the bus on those days. When he worked in the summer we came in my car, we did share a flat together." replied Colin.  
"You lived together?" said Sandra perplexed. She looked to Brian. "It never said that in the notes, did it?" Brian shook his head.  
"We just lived together, that was it. Flat-mates, that's all." Colin reiterated.  
"So where were you then the night before Jasper was found?" Sandra then quizzed as she turned into her police interrogation tone of voice. Colin fell silent and rubs his hands nervously.  
"It's over ten years ago, do you really expect me to remember?" he then asked.  
"I'm sure you'd remember the hours in and around the time when your friend and flatmate was found dead at the rail station where you worked. I know I would…" said Brian.  
"Me too," agreed Sandra. Colin was just silent. "An answer would be appreciated."  
"I honestly don't know, isn't it in my statement from the time?" said Colin. Sandra nodded yes. "Then why do I need to say again?"  
"We need to check over everything," answered Brian. "Railways like these runs like clockwork with every piece coming together as one. Our case is exactly the same, so many little pieces are needed to come together to make it all work. Your alibi Colin is one piece that we need. You were the suspect, wrongly identified we know, but we still have to investigate every possibility."  
"I was home." Colin then came out with all of a sudden. "I had a night in, Jasper went out. I didn't see him until the next morning when he was, well you know, dead." Sandra could see Colin was beginning to get a bit agitated again and left the questioning there. She and Brian soon left Maklov to get back to work but neither were overly convinced by his statement.  
"Pretty standard response." Sandra stated to Brian. "But I do sort of believe him. He was wrongly implicated over ten years ago and now we've dragged it up again."  
"Doesn't mean a thing, Sandra." said Brian.  
"How so?"  
"You can't take everything at face value. I'm not saying you are, but we have got to be open-minded in this all. I just can't believe the police messed up as much as they did." Brian answered.  
"So you think he's double bluffing us?" Sandra asked. Brian shrugged his shoulders and headed to Sandra's car. "Oh, thanks for that!" said Sandra. "I thought you were going to say something useful there, but no this is Brian Lane of course. The vital bits don't come till much later. God knows how Esther copes…" she added as she walked to her car in a huff. It hadn't been the best of days for her at all…


	2. Chapter 2

NEW TRICKS:

THE CHOO-CHOO CHOKE:

Chapter 2

* * *

"Kerry Croft?" asked Steve to a man in the office of the pathologist he was searching for. He was sure the man was Kerry, but he always had uncertainties at times with his own assumptions. The man turned round. Steve was a little put back; he had pictured what Kerry was going to look like – a grey-haired, bearded and aged man and an eccentric one at that – but this man was nothing like it. Well, he did look a bit old, but his hair was clearly dyed jet black and he had what appeared to be designer stubble etched across his face. He looked more like a movie star than anything.  
"Yes? I'm Kerry, who are you?" the man then asked in a deep, cockney twang. Again, Steve was a little put out, his mental image of Kerry had made him an Irishman too, but this man was certainly not. Quickly, he flashed Kerry his UCOS ID card and explained his reason for being here. "You better sit down then…" Kerry said as he offered Steve a seat.  
"What can you tell me of your findings then, Mr Croft?" Steve then asked as Kerry sat down opposite. "Because, from an outside perspective, saying someone like Mr Monif being strangled was the cause, but you weren't sure of it obviously brings up questions if you ask me." Kerry stayed silent for a moment and reached for a cup of half-drunk tea at his desk. He sipped it and then paused again.  
"You've seen the pictures, haven't you? Well, if you take into account the imprints on his neck, then strangulation comes with that cause of death without question. The thing is though that they were very minor imprints – they seemed _too_ fresh, almost as if it was done as he died."  
"Could they have been done after death?" Steve quizzed.  
"It's possible, but it's very strange for anyone to do that. Mr Monif was bruised all over his body, not majorly though, and he had cuts too. Nothing was severe enough for him to die though, it was a puzzle. I had my juniors at the time look over him too, but they came to the same conclusion as me; strangulation by virtue of the fact is could be nothing else."  
"So he didn't just drop dead then?"  
"It's unlikely Mr McAndrew," conceded Kerry. "His organs were perfectly healthy; Mr Monif was a healthy man, a young healthy man. I think it's safe to say he was killed, but the method is another thing altogether. He wasn't smothered, he wasn't stabbed, he had bruises consistent with punches, but none were fatal, so it is a puzzle, Mr McAndrew. I had to file a cause of death back then in 2001, I don't have to now with any case."  
"So would you have not given a cause of death if you didn't have to?" Steve asked as he looked at Kerry closely. The pathologist was clearly a little on edge, but Steve assumed it was due to being quizzed by a policeman, even a retired one at that.  
"Personally, I wouldn't have given a cause of death," said Kerry. "Mr Monif's death was so puzzling that it needed further investigation, but I had to do what I did. If I could re-examine him now and get an official cause of death, I would happily do so…"  
"So why don't you?" Kerry slurped his tea and just smiled slightly.  
"My, you really need to read things over a bit more Mr McAndrew – Monif was cremated soon after my findings were done, a mysterious death and its relevant body were gone within hours." Steve just fell silent. He glanced towards Kerry's office clock and then clocked his own shiny silver watch.  
"Well, thank you for your time Mr Croft – obviously I'll be in touch if anything else is required from you." he said.  
"Required? What would you require from me?"  
"Oh, you know…._something_…" smiled Steve as he left the office. As he walked out, he got out his phone and began writing a text to Sandra.  
"Met Monif's pathol…proper geezer. Gerry would like him. Nothing new though. Steve."

Brian and Sandra arrived back in the office and saw Gerry looking through some of the case files ages. Brian immediately just went to his desk and Sandra was about to return to her office, but Gerry stopped her on her way.  
"Guvnor," he said. "I've been on the blower to the Oak line's boss. You'll never guess what."  
"What?" asked Sandra who was still askew with everything that was happening to her on this day.  
"Jasper was gay," Gerry answered.  
"And?"  
"Guess who was his boyfriend?" Gerry then asked with a faint smile coming across his face. Brian perked up and looked across to the pair of them. Sandra could guess who it was, but she didn't want to say it. She did though.  
"Maklov?" she asked. Gerry nodded. "More than just flat-mates then…" she mumbled.  
"He didn't mention it then?" said Gerry. "Doesn't surprise me somehow."  
"It's a bit of a major thing to miss out though," pointed out Brian. "He was the frigging boyfriend of the murder victim."  
"I'm going back to the station," Sandra then huffed as she put her papers on Gerry's desk. She flicked her hair and began to walk out of the UCOS office again. "Just me this time, he might open up a bit more." she added as she walked out at a quick pace.  
"Open up," remarked Gerry. "She'll break him down into tears…" he continued with a laugh. Brian just smiled too.

Sandra soon arrived again at the station and found Colin just sweeping away some fallen leaves around the walking areas. Sandra's heels clacked and clunked loudly on the pavement. Colin clocked her quite soon after.  
"I thought you were done!" he said. "Do you just want to harangue me or something?"  
"You never said you were gay, Mr Maklov…" Sandra said simply.  
"Yeah, and what of it?"  
"You were in a relationship with Jasper; your boss has confirmed it." Sandra then scowled. "Don't play games with me. You never mentioned this; you only said the pair of you we're flat-mates, nothing more. I'd say being in a relationship with him is a fair bit more."  
"What relevance was it?" Colin then asked in a raised voice. "So what, I was seeing him, then he was found dead. You're trying to implicate me again, aren't you? Same old corrupt coppers…"  
"I'm not trying to do anything Colin; I just want everything to be known…" came Sandra's point in a stern tone. "How long were you two together before he died?" Colin at first refused to answer, but soon after a stare or two from Sandra, he began to tell.  
"On and off all the time since we were about 17," he began. "He loved me, and I liked him, a lot. I was too young to settle though."  
"What was so on and off about it though?"  
"Me – I kept wanting space, time to be free, but we always seemed to get closer each time we reconciled." Colin then continued, his voice breaking slightly at the end of each new sentence. "We weren't together when he died; we were just getting back together again. The living together made it almost impossible for us not to try again, and it felt right. Us two together was just right."  
"Did Jasper still go out on that night before he was found?" Sandra then asked. "Truthfully Colin, did he?" Colin wiped away a small tear from his right eye; the emotion was clearly still there.  
"Yes, I stayed in. It was one of his off days at uni and he went out for a drink. I had work the following morning; he had a lecture that following afternoon. He could afford to be a bit hungover, I couldn't." he then carried on. "I stayed in the flat; I assure you…why would I kill him anyway? I l…l…loved him. I really did, as a friend and as a person. Why would I do that to him? Answer me that!" he finished with a tear rolling down from each eye. Sandra was silent and felt sorry for Colin.  
"I had to ask, Mr Maklov…" she said simply. "I did not meant to cause any offence." Colin wiped away his tears and just looked at Sandra.  
"Just find who did this…" he muttered. "I really don't want all of this coming back; it's too much for me to take. I've found someone else since, but I try and not think of Jasper as all I can see of him now is his body, just there on the line. That image will never leave me, but I shunt it away as best as I can in my mind."  
"I'll do what I can, Mr Maklov." said Sandra as she patted Colin on the shoulder for comfort. "Me and my colleagues will do all we can, but you needed to say all of this sooner. It will help find who do it, I'm sure of it…" she added as slowly she began to walk away again. Back inside her car moments later, Sandra just pondered in silence. "That was very real," she thought. "It's not him…"


	3. Chapter 3

NEW TRICKS:

THE CHOO-CHOO CHOKE:

Chapter 3

* * *

It was the next day, morning was in full flow but the case was not really progressing. Brian had acquired CCTV footage from the time of Jasper's last night alive, but it offered nothing in terms of a lead. Jasper had been caught walking into a bar on his own, leaving the bar, again on his own before then entering and later leaving a nightclub once more on his own. For all intents and purposes he died alone, but clearly that wasn't the case, well, not in Brian's mind anyway. Sandra appeared to agree but Gerry and Steve seemed to think he's been left for dead on the line.  
"You just wouldn't be with him until he died," said Gerry. "If they meant to kill him, you'd leave as soon as he was unconscious or weak, not hold his hand as he died."  
"It's all about the 'if' though, isn't it?" Sandra said as she then sipped her coffee. "Monif surely didn't just die like that, did he? He got those injuries somewhere…"  
"Not at the bar or the nightclub though," pointed out Brian. "I had some of the techy lot enhance the images into still pictures and even though it's not absolutely clear, it's obvious he's not injured when he leaves the nightclub."  
"It really does beg the question then, doesn't it?" Steve pondered. "What the hell happened?" The team were then just returning to their desks when Strickland came walking into the UCOS office.  
"Someone's caught wind of the investigation," he announced to everyone. "Monif's grave got attacked late last night apparently…"  
"Oh god…" sighed Sandra. "Have they got anyone on it?"  
"A young male was seen rushing out of the cemetery apparently." Strickland answered. "No-one's been caught though. The grave wasn't majorly attacked; it's had a corner chipped out of it though for some peculiar reason. I have not informed Corinne for obvious reasons."  
"Do you dare tell her?" Sandra then asked. Strickland shook his head.  
"She's ill, far too ill." said Strickland. "I don't want to make it any worse for her as it is. What we need to do though is try and establish who that was, why they did what they did and if they have any relevance to the case."  
"I agree." said Sandra loudly to the others who all straightened up at once as if Sandra was an army major. "I think me and Steve shall make our way there. I'll let Gerry take Brian back to the station, they can speak to the boss a bit more in depth."  
"Whatever guvnor," smiled Gerry as he gave a sarcastic-like salute behind Sandra's back. Strickland was seemingly happy with everything but then took Sandra to one side of the office.  
"I know you are all following up leads of some description," he began to whisper. "But bearing in mind the circumstances with Corrine, I would prefer if this investigation could be somewhat hurried up."  
"I beg your pardon?" Sandra exclaimed. "Hurry up? Oh, come on, sir…I know were doing this for the sake of Corinne, but has someone from above had a word with you? We've only had this a day and you're telling me to hurry up! You've got to be kidding."  
"Sandra," soothed Strickland. "I'm only asking, I'm not commanding."  
"Bollocks…" muttered Sandra as she ruffled her hair in annoyance. An awkward silence then fell among the office for a few seconds, but Sandra soon cut that short. "I suppose me and Steve best hurry off to the cemetery then," she huffed as she grabbed her bag and rushed out of the office. The door slammed loudly after Sandra walked out of sight while the men just looked on.  
"I best go I suppose…" suggested Steve to the others.  
"I think you had…" said Strickland sternly.

It was cold and windy at the cemetery with very few people walking around the grounds paying their respects to loved ones that had since passed. Sandra had been quiet the whole way on the journey and Steve had been just as quiet too. The pair soon located Monif's grave and saw the chipped corner that Strickland had been referring to. It was very clearly still fresh but as they looked closer, Steve noticed the side of the grave had had something else done to it.  
"Silly string," he observed. "The blue variety too…Strickland never mentioned a thing about that."  
"No," agreed Sandra as she observed the cemetery around her. In the distance, she noted a young male wandering the grounds for no apparent reason. Dressed in a hoody and low-slung jeans, it was just the modern teen summed up In one person. Then, as Sandra looked more closely, she noticed the young man was holding a can in his hand, it was a can for silly string. Sandra slowly began to walk in the direction of the young man, Steve began to notice what Sandra was doing and tried to stop her, but he couldn't. Sandra was in tunnel-vision mode and zoned in on the young man, he clocked her and immediately looked worried.  
"Oi!" called out Sandra. "Stop there!" she then yelled as the young man then began to run. "Shit…" muttered Sandra as she then began to run as best as she could in her heels. "Steve!" she then yelled as Steve quickly passed her by.  
"Stop!" he called to the man, but the man didn't want to stop. He weaved in and around graves and pushed by some people walking in the grounds. Steve flashed the people his police ID card and continued the chase. Sandra wasn't far behind and soon they had the chance to catch their breath as the young man tripped and fell to the ground. Steve quickly caught up and made sure he stayed still. "So, what were you playing at then?" he asked, but the man's hoody was masking his face.  
"Take the hood down," ordered Sandra with a pant as she soon caught up. "We're police, well I am, he's….old."  
"I heard that," pointed out Steve.  
"Good to know," smiled Sandra. "Your hearing is in order." she added as the man took down his hood. He was a young-ish looking man, in his twenties perhaps, early 30s at a push, but neither Steve nor Sandra could be sure. He wasn't someone they'd seen before though.  
"I wasn't harming the grave," the man soon said. "I was making it…_happier_. I was doing it in honour of my friend."  
"You knew Jasper?" asked Steve. "Who are you anyway?"  
"Sidney," came the answer. "Sidney Travers. I went uni with Jasper. We had the same lectures. He was my one true uni friend. He liked to party, hence the silly string. Blue was his colour."  
"So you were just sprucing it up?" said Sandra. "Well, why the hell did you run then?"  
"I was scared, I just panicked. I shouldn't have run." answered Sidney. "I saw something online about the case being looked into again and thought I'd just do the string."  
"How are people finding this out?" asked Sandra to Steve. "We've only had the case a day…"  
"Jasper's death was so strange that I suppose there are people looking out for anything new," suggested Sidney. "I loved him as a friend, so when I heard about this I just wanted to come here again, regardless of whether it was true or not."  
"Can we talk more about Jasper at all?" asked Sandra. "Somewhere a bit more private if best…and somewhere where I can rest my feet, bloody heels." Sidney agreed and the three of them walked off to a nearby café. It at least gave Sandra a chance to catch her breath…

"Ah, Mr Standing, nice to actually meet you now…" smiled Harry White, the boss of the Oak vintage line. He was a man with brown trousers and a stripy red shirt held up with sunny yellow braces. He was a balding man with tufts of hair the only real bits left at the side of his head in a greying orange tone.  
"Mr White," smiled back Gerry. "This is my colleague, Brian Lane. Now as you know, were just here to clarify a few things as we continue our enquiries."  
"I've no problem with that, so long as Jasper's killer is found, I don't mind being quizzed again." said Harry. "It's never been the same here since he died."  
"Did you know him well outside of work?" Brian then asked as the interrogation began.  
"Can't say as I did, the only real time outside of work I saw him was either at the park or at the Christmas do. He was good footballer, shame he wanted to go into business; he could have been the next Bobby Moore."  
"That good?" asked Gerry with a raised eyebrow.  
"He was in my eyes," replied Harry. "I'm no football coach though, but what I am is a considerate boss. I kept him on despite him being you know what."  
"What? Gay?" asked Brian. Harry nodded. "Was his job ever under any threat because of that?"  
"Well, not really, but vintage railways aren't known for being the most forward thinking of places in the world. It's only natural that we look back," began Harry. Gerry and Brian couldn't quite believe what they were hearing. "Jasper being you know, _gay_, wasn't a problem for me, but we had to be careful with fuddy-duddies coming to visit the place. You never know how they'd have reacted."  
"He didn't flaunt that side of him though, did he?" asked Gerry.  
"Well, not while on duty, but him and Colin were always _too familiar_ when they were on a break. I never said a thing though, it was their life. Let them have theirs and I'll stick with mine, it's how it was." Harry answered.  
"So when did you last see Jasper?" Brian then quizzed. Harry took an audible gasp, one that seemed like he was thinking out aloud.  
"Erm," he thought loudly. "Well, you see he wasn't on duty when they found him, he was on his studies, I last properly saw him at the very end of August, that's when he was last working here while on his break."  
"Did he seem fine?"  
"Oh come on, it's over ten years now, I don't honestly know. I'll say yes, he was always chipper." replied Harry. "How many more questions have you got lined up?"  
"As many as we need," answered Gerry sternly. Harry just sighed again.

"We shared the same birthday," Sidney revealed at the café as Sandra and Steve sat opposite, Steve had a tea by his left hand, but it seemed untouched. "We were the same age; we had a lot in common. It was within the first week of uni we just met at the film society. He loved horror stuff, I liked the old classics; _Casablanca, a Streetcar Named Desire_, but we just gelled instantly."  
"Did you see him the night before he was found?" Sandra asked.  
"Yeah," replied Sidney. "I know he shared that flat with Colin, but every so often he'd stay round my place when we'd watch a film together the night before. So I saw him the morning of his last night, but after that not really. He liked to go clubs and pubs, but it was never my thing. I had films to watch!"  
"You can't seriously be 32 or 33 can you?" Sandra then mused. "You look far too young."  
"I've never matched my age in terms of my looks," smiled Sidney. "I looked 12 when I was at uni. Jasper looked his age. He only really hung out with people his own age, so it always looked odd to others when we were about."  
"Did your friendship ever lead into anything more?" Steve then asked after a prolonged period of silence spent analysing Sidney's responses and general body language. Sidney looked somewhat surprised at the question. "It's all part of our enquiries." Steve then added.  
"We were close friends, very close. People did think that it was us two that were the couple and not Jasper and Colin." Sidney responded. "I never wanted to get in their way though and they both knew that. I was just Jasper's friend."  
"You still miss him, don't you?" asked Sandra. Sidney just nodded his head.  
"I often wish it was me that had died and not him." said Sidney out of nowhere. "He had more to live for, he had a loving partner, a more worthwhile ambition in life – I can't say that I have – and he was just liked and loved by many. Whoever did what they did was out of jealousy if you ask me."  
"And does anyone you know fit that description of jealousy?" Steve quizzed.  
"Not that I can think of," came the reply as a beeping noise of a phone then emanated from Sidney's hoody pocket. He looked at his phone and then pulled a grimace. "Oh, I think we'll have to end it there I'm afraid. It's my gran, I have to look after her, she's not well. She needs me." he added as he got out of his seat. "I'm sorry if I've not helped."  
"It's no problem Mr Travers, thank you for your time." thanked Sandra as Sidney then walked out of the café. After a few moments, Steve then looked towards Sandra.  
"I think he's hiding something…" he said simply.  
"Really? He seemed very genuine." countered Sandra.  
"There was something about him that didn't quite feel right if you ask me." said Steve. "He's not letting onto everything."  
"It'll make a change if somebody does then…" smiled Sandra. "I suppose we best make our way back though and find out how Gerry and Brian have got on."  
"But, I've not finished my tea…" protested Steve.  
"You've not been drinking it, you were staring at Sidney."  
"I was working…"  
"So was I." smiled Sandra. "Besides, that was salt you put in it, not sugar. So I wouldn't drink it anyway." she added as Steve looked at the table's sugar and salt canisters. They were identical.  
"Oh you've got to be joking…" he said as Sandra tried to mask a laugh.  
"Come on," she cajoled. "Office. Now!" Steve obliged but still felt an idiot for what he'd done…


	4. Chapter 4

NEW TRICKS:

THE CHOO-CHOO CHOKE:

Chapter 4

* * *

"I think it's safe to say that this case isn't really going anywhere…" mused Gerry to the others at the UCOS office. He had informed Sandra and Steve about what Mr White said, but like him, they didn't think it helped much at all.  
"It's just a case of finding that breakthrough isn't it?" said Sandra as she headed towards the office fridge. There she picked out her lunch but just stared at it for a moment. "In any other normal circumstances I would just let Strickland know my honest opinion," she continued. "But I don't want to let her down…"  
"Corinne?" asked Gerry. "But you don't know her."  
"I know," she replied. "But I keep imagining it if it was my mum in that situation. How must they feel?"  
"Empty…" answered Steve. "You'd be too drained to carry on. I'm sure we will find something, Sandra. I'm certain of it."  
"But where though?" she asked openly. "For all intents and purposes it would seem that Maklov can't have done it if you ask me, Sidney Travers is just a film geek and Harry White's just a little out of date, what can we get from that?"  
"There is always the autopsy finding," suggested Brian. "It really doesn't make sense."  
"Brian, Croft said he had to do what he did." countered Steve. "I've phoned other pathologists who were working at the time and they said they were under the same pressures. He made a decision – it wasn't the one he wanted – but he had to make it."  
"I still think there is something odd about it…even now…" said Brian after he slurped some tea. Sandra just sighed and went about eating her lunch. Steve continued looking through the notes he had made so far while Gerry looked over the CCTV footage again. He was sure he could find something, but he didn't quite know what. Looking closely at the video of Monif leaving the nightclub, Gerry noticed that Monif had made a signal to somebody just as he left the club. Gerry paused the video and saw it was a blonde man in a purple shirt and grey shorts. He continued the video and saw that over five minutes after Monif had left the club, the blonde haired man left and went in the same direction.  
"Guvnor," he called Sandra. "Was there ever anything made of a blonde man leaving the club soon after Monif?" Sandra racked her brains as she chewed her lunch.  
"No," she then said after swallowing her food. "Why'd you ask?" Gerry signalled her over to his desk and then played the footage.  
"Monif had obviously been talking to them…" said Gerry.  
"We can't be sure," pointed out Sandra. "He could have just spoken to them as he left."  
"Look at the signal he used though. It's a 'come follow me' kind of thing. I should know, I've used that many times." Sandra looked at the footage once and observed it closely. With each second that passed, she began to agree with Gerry's view that it was a signal from Monif to the blonde man.  
"So he was cheating on Colin then?" Sandra pondered. "I can't quite see that happening."  
"Sandra, if it did, we've got to look into it. It may give us a motive for somebody, namely Colin…" said Gerry. By now, Steve and Brian had ventured over and looked at the footage too.  
"I'll try and see if the techies can enhance that any better…" said Brian. "It's a long shot, but we could try and see if anyone recognises the blonde man at the club."  
"It's worth a try," agreed Sandra. "I think I'll have a word with Colin again, and see if he knows who the mystery man is…"

"Do you want any tea, Detective Superintendent?" asked Andy, Colin's partner, at the pair's house. Sandra said no and just waited for Colin who was just making his way downstairs.  
"What is it this time?" he asked as he saw Sandra waiting in the hall. Sandra reached into her handbag and got out a paper copy of the blonde man in the CCTV footage. She showed it to Colin.  
"We're looking into this possible lead," she answered. "We found Jasper signalling to this man as he left a club and then the same man left in the same direction a few minutes later. We just want to know who he could be, do you know him?" Colin studied the picture, it wasn't clear but there were some features that people could recognise on the man's face.  
"It could have been one of his uni friends for all I know…" he said to Sandra. "He did have a few, he was quite popular. It does look familiar though."  
"Now, I know this may come across as rude and I apologise in advance, but do you think he could have been seeing somebody else?" Sandra then asked tentatively. She dreaded the response, but Colin was oddly silent. It took a little while for a response.  
"I think with me being unable to commit for all that time, well in one go anyway, that he probably did try others." he said. "I suppose if I were in his shoes, I'd probably do the same. I don't know though, I can't imagine him just throwing away our relationship like that."  
"This is all speculation of course Mr Maklov, we have no proof." reassured Sandra. "It's just part of our inquiries." Colin accepted that but looked again at the picture of the blonde haired man. It was clear that he did recognise it.  
"I think I may know his name actually…" said Colin to Sandra as he held the paper image. "Oh, we all called him King, he was one of Jasper's uni friends….King was his surname."  
"Any clue about a first?"  
"No, I'm sorry…" apologised Colin. "I wish I could…anything to get the one that did it."  
"I'll be in touch if anything else is needed." Sandra then said as she saw herself out of the house. Once in her car, she rang up Jasper's old university from the case notes and asked for a records search. After negotiating her way through some bureaucratic red tape and hold music, Sandra was eventually given the name of a King who was blonde and was in the same year as Jasper. His name was Zack and from the brief records Sandra was given over the phone, she found out that like Jasper, Zack had worked at the Oak line in summer time too. "Bingo…" smiled Sandra as she headed off to the vintage railway once again.

With the blonde man's identity established, the need to go the nightclub was no longer a necessity, but Brian had cycled his way down to the club and made the walk that Jasper would have on his last night alive. It was only a two-mile walk from the club to his and Colin's flat for Jasper and Brian was even more perplexed in how he came about those injuries for such a short walking distance. He looked around the area and could see more CCTV cameras were about now than the report had noted in 2001.  
"It's one saving grace about your death, Jasper…" muttered Brian. "There's more chance to be spotted nowadays because of it." This wasn't really something Brian thought was good though. The nightclub was surrounded by other clubs and bars and he thought that at least bouncers and coppers on foot would have noticed something at the time, but no-one had. It was beginning to feel more and more like Jasper had got his injuries and then died out of nowhere. Nothing was seemingly making sense. Walking with his bike at his side, Brian ventured along the route that Jasper would have gone and just took in the surroundings. At points, the route would become narrow and at night, he was certain it would become very dark with sections of path nowhere near a street lamp at all. What confused Brian however was that the vintage railway way eight miles away in the other direction, so Jasper would have come back along the route at some point between the attack and when he was placed on the railway line. "They must have used a car…" thought Brian. "Any other way was just too risky." After a more detailed look around the various side paths and walkways Jasper could have taken, Brian got on his bike and went back to the office. He was sure whoever did what they did to Jasper had happened somewhere along here.

"Are you trying to accuse me of hiding things, Miss Pullman?" asked Harry White after Sandra had interrogated him about the employment of Zack King, the man in the CCTV footage.  
"Mr White, I'm only trying to establish why no mention had ever been made about Mr King in relation to Jasper's death." said Sandra simply. "You see, Colin has already confirmed that Zack was a friend of Jasper's and records from the time at his university state he worked here during the summer. Surely two students from the same university working here in the summer isn't normal, Mr White?"  
"No, it's not…" he answered. "I still fail to see the point in this conversation. Mr King only worked here for two weeks one summer, he was crap at his job. He was late all the time, looked scruffy as heck and was a bit rude if hungover."  
"Was he hungover a lot then?"  
"When wasn't he?" asked Mr White in a sarcastic manner. "He was on the rugby team from what I remember, always out partying. He instilled that a little into Jasper, it wasn't right at all. I sacked him, simple enough. Why are you even mentioning him anyway?"  
"He was seen in some of the last CCTV shots we've got of Jasper." explained Sandra. "We believe he could be a witness. Have you got any details for him, old or not, we'll try and track him down." Mr White just stepped back a pace or two and grinned.  
"You'll have luck finding him." said Harry with a smirk in the corner of his face.  
"Why's that?"  
"I heard he topped himself five years back. Found his car at the top of a cliff; found him at the bottom of it…"  
"Shit…" mumbled Sandra. "God, I don't know what to do now. Sorry for wasting your time." she then apologised before going back to her car. Nothing was seemingly going her way or that of UCOS'. Dead ends were becoming more and more frequent for her and solving the case was becoming a real problem. Everywhere UCOS looked it was as if moments had been wiped from existence making the case one of the hardest Sandra had yet faced. She was hopeful something would help get the breakthrough, but she was becoming ever more doubtful…


	5. Chapter 5

NEW TRICKS:

THE CHOO-CHOO CHOKE:

Chapter 5

* * *

With the case not seemingly moving on and the confirmation of Zack King's death some five years ago – via jumping off a cliff - Strickland set Sandra and her team up with an interview with the officer who led the case at the time. Awaiting Sandra in the interview room was Detective Inspector Pamela Grange. She may have only been 44 but to Sandra she looked a lot older, obviously the stress of the job had taken its toll.  
"Thank you for your time to help our enquiries," began Sandra to DI Grange. "As you may know courtesy of DAC Strickland, we are struggling to find a lead within the case."  
"It is understandable," said DI Grange. "I know all too well of the struggles. We got the wrong man - that made me lose a lot of faith in my own ability – I still cannot forgive myself for that."  
"Were you ever in anyway able to piece together what Mr Monif did after leaving the nightclub?" Sandra then quizzed. DI Grange shook her head.  
"We assumed he was beaten up after leaving the view of the CCTV cameras." the inspector then revealed. "For a long while, we assumed it was a homophobic-related incident, but that line of inquiry had no legs."  
"Why ever not?"  
"No leads I'm afraid Detective Superintendent," sighed DI Grange. "This case in that sense has to be the worst I've ever worked on for that. There was just nothing, absolutely nothing. We arrested the lover as a matter of precaution; we then made a cockup with the DNA and the whole case pretty much went back to square one. It's a real non-starter in that respect."  
"Are you aware that Mr Monif's only remaining relative is dying?" DI Grange nodded.  
"Yes," she then said. "If I was in DAC Strickland's position, I would have brought the case back up to the fore again. I imagine you are doing all you can in spite of the lack of leads."  
"Of course we are," answered Sandra. She felt the question was a little rude but carried on the interview for a little longer.

Back in the main part of the office, Brian was trawling through the employee records from the time Jasper was working at the station. Looking at any crime records, any other details, he slowly came across a name he'd seen when first looking at the notes. Felicity Wright. She'd left the station within a year of Jasper's death but nothing new of her had been found within the last seven years. No bank details, no major purchases, no wedding, no new car/house, absolutely nothing. Brian found this to be extremely odd and then looked her up on the internet from his laptop just out of curiosity. He didn't even have to type her name in full before the search engine came up with the result 'Felicity Wright missing'. He clicked onto a news article and found it was the same Felicity that had worked at the Oak line.  
"Right," Brian muttered to himself. Looking at the article which was dated August 11, 2002, Brian saw at that point Felicity had been missing for two weeks, and after trawling the internet for a little longer, he could see nothing about her ever being found. A quick look on the missing persons' database confirmed she was still missing and this made Brian wonder just a little. "It can't just be a coincidence." he thought as he looked closely as the news articles. There were mentions of Felicity's work at the Oak line and there was even a little quote from Harry White in several of the articles which Brian found even stranger. Steve had noticed Brian was looking a little odd at the laptop screen and went over to see what it was.  
"Who's that?" he asked.  
"Felicity Wright," answered Brian. "She worked at the Oak line at the time of Jasper's death and within a year of that, she wasn't ever seen again."  
"And what's the relevance to the Monif case? Steve quizzed.  
"Look," said Brian as he pointed to the news article and in particular at Harry White's name. "It's him."  
"Felicity was a good employee," Steve began to read as he looked at Harry White's quote. "She wasn't the kind to disappear and was a lovely girl. I just hope for the sake of everyone that she is found."  
"Do you not think that sounds a little, you know, OTT?" Brian then asked.  
"It seems perfectly normal, Brian." replied Steve. "It's a little strange yes, but the papers are the papers, they'll quote anyone they can get their hands on."  
"I just think it's a little odd isn't it that while boss at that station, Harry White has seen one employee die in strange circumstances, one kill themselves and another disappear within a year of leaving her job never to be seen again." Brian then pointed out. "So many strange things to happen to one boss is something I can't tear my mind away from."  
"What are you trying to say about him though, Brian?" Steve then asked perplexed.  
"I think he's involved in all three of these, Jasper's death especially…" came the blunt answer.

Sandra's interview with DI Grange was now coming to an end, but like everything else with this case, there was no progress coming from it. DI Grange was obviously trying to help as much as she could but even that was not really advancing things at all. Then, there was a knock at the interview room door. The door opened and appeared through the gap was Gerry.  
"I think Brian needs you," he said simply to Sandra. She just sighed.  
"Thanks for your time DI Grange," Sandra began. "It would appear I have other things to be doing in relation to the case."  
"So long as it makes the breakthrough, that's all I care about." said DI Grange simply as Sandra left the room.  
"Right, what is it, Gerry?" Sandra then asked.  
"Brian said something about a missing Felicity something or other, she worked at the Oak line at the time Jasper died."  
"Right, and?"  
"Brian seems to think Harry White's got something to do with both her disappearance and Jasper's death."  
"How'd he come to that conclusion?"  
"I think I'd better let him explain." said Gerry as he led Sandra back into the office. Once there, Brian explained to Sandra as clearly as he could about the link between Harry White and the death of Jasper Monif. Sandra though was puzzled.  
"I don't get it Brian," she said simply. "How has this curveball come out of nowhere? What sparked this into mind?"  
"My mind pieced it together." answered Brian.  
"But how?"  
"If you look at it Sandra, just from the outside perspective, not that of a police officer, alarms bells should be ringing. How can one man be a link in three incidents like this?" Brian explained.  
"You don't know any of this for a fact. He was the boss of all three, nothing more Brian." said Sandra. "We can talk to him again and perhaps search his house as a 'precaution' or something just to please you, but I just think this is the wrong line of inquiry."  
"You don't know until you haven't tried…" muttered Brian as silence then befell the office.

Harry White was at work when Gerry came to visit him. He was acting a calming device in case he sparked off while he was informed of a search at his house. Gerry showed Mr White a warrant that had also been shown to his daughter at the house and soon the search was underway. Harry was tense as he sat in his office while Gerry kept an eye on him and Sandra was just as tense during the search of his house. She wasn't personally searching but was keeping a watchful eye on things. Strickland had heard of the search and had come to watch on progress.  
"Is this really now our lead?" he asked to Sandra.  
"It's a possibility." she responded. "Brian's idea…" she then explained. Strickland just sighed a little as the pair then walked through the house. Officers were all around looking in every nook and cranny they could find in every room available. "Have we checked the loft?" Sandra then shouted loudly to the officers. A quick rumble of feet were then heard making their way to the loft.  
"Sandra!" then called a familiar voice, it was Brian's. He'd been helping the search upstairs. "Do you want me to have a look?"  
"I don't mind, just don't wreck anything…" she replied. Brian smiled and once the ladder was set up, he scaled it and then entered the loft. An officer handed him a torch and slowly Brian looked around. There was dust everywhere and spider webs littered the gaps inbetween floorboards. There was musty smell about the place and although Brian knew that was a smell most lofts had, there was something slightly different about this smell.  
"There's something here…" he mumbled as he continued to look. Sandra and Strickland had now made their way to the base of the ladder and were listening in to anything Brian had to say.  
"Anything there?" Strickland asked.  
"Don't rush me…" scolded Brian. "I'm working here, unlike some."  
"Brian!" said Sandra. "Remember who you are speaking to. Technically we shouldn't even be allowing you up there, but this is one time where I think both of us are prepared to bend the rules, so do show respect." Brian didn't respond as something in the flash of his torch caught his eye. It was a plastic covering, a sheet, a clear one at that. Brian ventured towards the sheet and slowly through the dust he could make out a shape inside the sheet; it was almost like a head. Brian got closer still and then tried to move the plastic sheet. Whatever was inside it moved with the sheet and as Brian cleared away some of the dust, he could finally see what it was.  
"Ah…" he cried out in shock. His outburst caught the attention of both Strickland and Sandra.  
"Brian?" asked Sandra. "Brian?" she asked again but she heard nothing in response. Quickly, without thinking she began to climb the ladder and Strickland followed suit. "Brian? What is it?" she asked once more.  
"Oh god…" muttered Brian.  
"What, what is it?" quizzed Strickland.  
"It's a body," answered Brian. "A bloody long dead body…" he added as Sandra and Strickland looked on. There, peering through the plastic sheet was a skeleton. It was clearly real and very clearly old. "I think it could be Felicity…" Brian then said as Sandra fell silent while Strickland closed his eyes in disbelief…


	6. Chapter 6

NEW TRICKS:

THE CHOO-CHOO CHOKE:

Chapter 6

* * *

The body was that of Felicity's, tests had confirmed it. She had been found. The problem was though that this was not what Sandra was looking for. Of course it was good that it was now a form of closure for Felicity's family, but it meant a whole new can of worms had been opened. Harry White had been arrested in connection with the discovery and was now in an interview room waiting to be questioned. Sandra was just making her way to the room when Steve called out her name from the UCOS office.  
"What is it?"  
"Have we heard anything about Maklov at all lately?" Steve asked. Sandra shook her head.  
"Why'd you ask?"  
"His partner's just rang in," began Steve. "He's not been seen for a couple of days. He's obviously concerned."  
"Have a look into it, I'll ask Harry while I'm in there with him." replied Sandra as Steve obliged and headed back into the office. The interview room door then swung open as Sandra entered. Harry looked up and watched closely as Sandra took her seat next to Gerry. Harry had no legal assistance at his side which Sandra thought wasn't in his best interests, but she quickly focused onto her interrogation.  
"So then," she began. "Where's Colin?" then came the question. Harry looked somewhat confused.  
"I'm sorry, but what's that got to do with this?" he asked.  
"Oh, well you see we've had a call through from his partner to say he's not been seen for a couple of days, so I thought I'd just put it out there what with Felicity Wright's body found in your house." answered Sandra.  
"That was planted there…"  
"As if…" muttered Gerry. "Who would do that then, Harry?"  
"There are people I assure you who would do that." he replied. "I'm not the most universally liked man in the world – no-one's perfect, eh?"  
"Felicity was one of your former employees though, wasn't she?" quizzed Sandra. "Logic would add that and finding her body at your house as implicating you in one way or another."  
"If you say so…" smirked Harry. He was a changed man from what both Gerry and Sandra had encountered before, it was almost as if this was his true self and he'd been putting it on when he'd the pair of them on previous occasions. If not, it was a very good confidence act.  
"Did you find Felicity sexually attractive in anyway Mr White?" Sandra then asked as she looked at Harry closely. Again, he just smirked.  
"Well, she weren't ugly. Pretty lass, I definitely like her as a person. If I'd have been 25 years younger, then I'd have done something possibly." he eventually answered.  
"Made a move for her?" asked Gerry.  
"Yeah, she was pretty. I can't really employ ugly birds I'm afraid. It just wouldn't do me well for visitors, male ones anyway." Harry began. "Any red-blooded male would have wanted a piece of Felicity."  
"But obviously not Jasper…" pointed out Sandra. "Do you have a problem with people who are gay? Again, it's only a question."  
"It's a bloody stupid one." mumbled Harry. "No, I don't have any problems with them. My son was gay…"  
"Was?"  
"He died in a car accident the day after his 18th birthday. He'd told me about a month before that he was gay." explained Harry. "I'm amazed you haven't got that on file somewhere – you seem to want to know everything about me."  
"It is all in the aid of establishing how Felicity came to being in your loft…" said Sandra. Harry just fell silent again as the interview continued…

Brian was at his desk studying the photo of Felicity's body as something didn't quite feel right about it. Like Jasper's it just felt too placed, and not natural. He heard Steve's phone go off in the distance and tried to carry on with his observations as Steve spoke loudly.  
"You can send him down here…" said Steve in a jolly tone as he ended the call. Brian wondered who he was on about and then with a minute or two came a young-ish looking man in a brown hoody into the office. "Sidney…" smiled Steve. "Is there something the matter?"  
"I wasn't being really truthful about me and Jasper." he said. "I felt too embarrassed to say it the first time but we did spend a lot of time together for a reason." Steve instantly knew what this meant.  
"How long were seeing each other then?" he asked.  
"Not long, two or three weeks tops before he died." began Sidney. "He'd just had about enough with Colin's constant on and off thing, so he just wanted _stability_. I ended it though and just wanted to remain friends."  
"Why did you never mention this before?"  
"No-one knows about me being gay…I've just been too embarrassed to say. Mum and dad are oblivious and my grandma wouldn't take it too well I know." explained Sidney slowly. He was very clearly nervous telling Steve, but he felt it was needed. "I had to say now, I can't let Colin be fully oblivious to it all." he then added.  
"Have you seen him recently?" quizzed Steve.  
"No, why'd you ask?"  
"I shouldn't really be saying this to a member of the public, but he hasn't been seen in a couple of days. If you do see him, just call me." Steve answered as he passed Sidney his card.  
"I will. I'll go and have a look now if you want." Sidney then offered. Steve smiled but explained it wasn't necessary. "I just want to do what I can to help. We need to close this whole thing. Bring peace at last to it all."  
"I understand Sidney but we are the professionals," said Steve. "Thanks for clarifying things with us though, I'm sure it will help."  
"I gather I'm not a suspect then."  
"I'd think not by now…" said Steve as he showed Sidney to the door. When Sidney was out of sight, Steve just smirked to himself. "I really doubt he is a suspect," he thought. "Something still doesn't feel right though…"

"Felicity left not too long after Jasper died, didn't she?" Sandra then asked Harry who was still acting as calm as ever despite his story not standing up. Harry nodded.  
"Yeah, she went Brighton…working at an art exhibition firm. She loved art, the Oak line wasn't for the long-term sadly." he said. "She rang me up at work not long after moving there saying that she'd like to come visit us all whenever and offered us the chance too."  
"Did you take this chance at all?" asked Gerry.  
"I had to go Brighton one day – there were some old freight wagons due to be scrapped that rather interested me. O often have to go on these little visits, so I let Felicity know I was going to be there and met her at her flat." answered Harry.  
"And that was it?"  
"What are you trying to imply?" asked Harry. "I'm getting rather fed up of accusations thrown here and there at me. I went to her flat, is that where you now get me killing her from?"  
"It's likely given the location of where he body was subsequently found." Sandra retorted sternly.  
"Are you just trying to piss me off to high levels so that I'll just say I killed her even though I didn't?" Harry asked through clear annoyance.  
"Explain clearly then Mr White what happened that day. Something must have happened, surely?" asked Sandra. "It's clear to see you took a liking to her." Harry just shook his head and then cracked his knuckles. He really wasn't in the mood for answering.  
"The sooner you answer Harry the sooner you can leave." pointed out Gerry. "Just say it, what did you do?" Harry just smirked again but slowly that began to disappear as Sandra and Gerry just stared at him intently. He began to clam up a little and the bravado he had shown slowly went with each second. Whatever he had been like was vanishing before Sandra and Gerry's eyes. Harry's mask of confidence was crumbling very quickly.  
"I…I had tea," he began nervously. "We just chatted and then I went too far…"  
"What do you mean?" asked Sandra.  
"I…I just held her down and did what I'd have done if I was a younger man." Harry then said through a voice of little emotion. It was clear his mask of confidence was nowhere to be seen now. "We were in her sitting room, both standing and then I just went for her, I don't know why but I just pinned her to the ground. She couldn't get me away."  
"Did you just hold her down or do more, Mr White?" asked Sandra fearing what the response was going to be.  
"I..I did it…" he said quietly.  
"Raped her? asked Gerry. Harry nodded.  
"I don't know what came over me but I did it, she was too loud though. I had to keep her silent and I panicked; before I knew it my hands were gripped round her throat." he explained with pauses breaking up the details. "She'd mentioned she was a lesbian and it just didn't compute with me, it was wrong for her to be that. I had to stop it, she just couldn't have been one. I had to stop it, but I didn't mean to do what I did."  
"You did it though…" said Sandra. "You raped her and strangled her. I presume you took the body away in your car and that was that?" Again, Harry nodded.  
"So you did all of that because she was a lesbian?" Gerry then asked matter of factly. "One question Harry; why?"  
"My boy was gay and I didn't accept that. He knew that but those thoughts have always remained," explained Harry. "I was brought up in an age where it was wrong, so it was only natural to still think that – men and men and women and women, it's not right. Felicity was too good to be on _that_ side."  
"You said Jasper and Colin's relationship didn't bother you though. Deep down did it?" asked Sandra.  
"They were too open about it – I made a comment every now and then - but that was it." insisted Harry. "I had to drive past their kind of clubs on my way home every night; I couldn't get away from it. Jasper and Colin was something, but then Felicity saying what she really was, was just the breaking point. I was just surrounded by it, it felt like punishment for my son dying."  
"Where's Colin?" Sandra asked once more out of nowhere. She was purposely testing his resolve. Harry was clearly annoyed by the question.  
"Do you honestly think I'd do something to him?" Harry asked.  
"From what you've just said, I wouldn't put it past you…" said Gerry. "It then brings up this question with it, did you kill Jasper because of who he was?"  
"For god's sake, I didn't do a thing to any of them. What I did to Felicity was wrong, I don't know why I stored her body."  
"You treasured her," observed Sandra. "You leered over her probably and then kept her as a memento. I don't think you cared that she decomposed; you had her in your house. That was enough."  
"I panicked…" insisted Harry.  
"You killed here, you've just admitted it. But did you kill Jasper for the same reason?" Gerry then asked as he was beginning to lose patience. Harry was clearly becoming anxious and he was sweating a lot. His hands were going red quite oddly and then all of a sudden Harry collapsed onto the desk with a loud bang.  
"Shit!" exclaimed Gerry as Sandra rushed out of the interview room.  
"We need some help!" she called out. "Someone!" she added as she noticed in the corner of her eye that Gerry was trying to make sure he was ok. "Somebody!" she called out again but no-one replied…


	7. Chapter 7

NEW TRICKS:

THE CHOO-CHOO CHOKE:

Chapter 7

* * *

Harry was on a stretcher, he was alright but still needed to be taken to the hospital. Sandra couldn't believe what had happened but was glad that paramedics had arrived quite quickly.  
"He just went weak," said Gerry simply as they watched Harry stretchered out of the UCOS building. "They said it was something to do with high blood pressure, don't know what though."  
"I thought we could have lost him then," confided Sandra quietly to Gerry. "That would just be our luck with this case. I can't afford that to happen, we just need to get this resolved for Corinne anyway."  
"God, I forgot about her…"  
"Gerry! How could you?"  
"We've been working so hard that the reason behind it all got washed away I suppose." Gerry answered. "We are doing our best."  
"Hmm," agreed Sandra. "I suppose with White in hospital now, we've got to turn out attention to finding Maklov." she then suggested. "I just hope to god that Harry's not been involved in that somehow…that's all we need…" she added as silence then fell between her and Gerry.

"Colin?" called out Sidney as he searched round the woody grounds near to the Oak line. He was trying to help find Colin just to make him feel better about himself – he still fell silly for hiding information like he had done, so trying to help out the detectives was something he really wanted to do. The Oak line itself was closed while Harry was away and officers were searching the grounds to see if the missing Maklov was anywhere to be seen. Colin had never been missing like this before and his partner Andy was deeply concerned. He'd told Sandra on the phone that the reopening of the case had brought the worst out of Colin again and that he probably ran away because of it. Sidney of course didn't know this amount of detail into the disappearance, but he still knew it was odd for Colin nonetheless. He knew him reasonably at the time when he was uni friends with Jasper, but he never overly knew him too well. Regardless, Sidney was determined to find him and went down areas he knew officers weren't looking at. "Come on Colin, you've got to be here somewhere…" he muttered to himself. "You're not the sort to go missing…" he added as his own search continued…

"So you're prime suspect is now in hospital?" quizzed Strickland to Sandra in her office. "It's not good Sandra, is it?"  
"To be fair sir, how was I to know Harry White was going to do that? None of us knew that…" she replied. "He's confessed to the murder of Felicity Wright, but I think he's involved in the Monif case – I've got a feeling about it."  
"Feelings are no use though," retorted Strickland. "We need proof, the fact he didn't like Monif is not enough at this stage."  
"The fact he killed Felicity because she was a lesbian must surely be taken into consideration though," said Sandra. "Jasper was gay – a boss who isn't particularly fond of people like that is surely high up the suspect list. I would also say that Maklov's disappearance is linked…"  
"You better find him then…" said Strickland simply.  
"We will…" answered Sandra firmly. "I'll make sure of it…"

The wind was blowing about near to the Oak line and Sidney was still looking around through hedges and round trees for the missing Colin. He'd been looking for a good couple of hours by this point but he was still determined to find him. Bringing peace to Jasper once and for all was a key thing driving him along and he knew what he had to do. In the distance, he could hear officers trawling the shrubs and foliage near the line so Sidney went further out of view and then came across a rusty old gate on a siding to the line. Sidney had seen the gate before when he had ridden along the line and knew it was where old freight and broken engine parts were kept – Jasper had told him that when he used to visit him at work. He struggled at first to climb over the high metal gate and tore a bit of his jeans as a result, but he soon made it over and landed on the other side. Instantly it felt quieter and much more eerie to Sidney on the other side of the gate and it did make him worry a little, but he quickly got those kinds of thoughts out of his mind. Slowly he stepped around the area which was littered with old engine parts and bits of trucks and trains. It was an old salvage yard in the middle of a forest, it just so detached from its surroundings.  
"Colin?" Sidney called out once more but got no response. He tried several more times but again there was no reply to his cries. Suddenly, there was a rustling in some of the bushes near to where Sidney was. He flinched and after a moment's hesitation went towards the bushes. "Hello?" he called out. "Is someone there?" No-one responded. Sidney was a little nervous but still moved towards the bushes – once there, he peered over them and saw something peeping out from a paint-spattered cloth sheet – it looked like a foot. "Oh god…" muttered Sidney. He didn't want to go near whatever it was, but he felt he had to. The closer he got, the more and more it looked like a foot and it was clear that whatever was under the sheet was shaped out like a body. Sidney felt nervous but still felt he had to go near to whatever it was. Soon, he was there and he took several deep breaths before then pulling the sheet away. He immediately froze in shock. There before Sidney facing down on the ground was the naked body of Colin covered with splatters of mud and what appeared to blood on his head. "Shit…" mumbled Sidney. "Oh shit…"

The call had reached the office courtesy of Sidney informing the nearby searching officers. Sandra and Steve were soon on the scene with Steve doing his best to calm down Sidney as much as he could.  
"I'm sorry you had to see what you did…" said Steve. "You shouldn't have been looking, but thank you all the same." Sidney was still clearly shocked but was able to talk without too many pauses and emotion taking control of him.  
"I…I was doing what was best," he said simply. "I just wanted to help…"  
"You have," reassured Steve. "You have." he said again as Sandra looked over the body of Maklov.  
"Oh god…" she sighed. "Why?" she asked to herself. "Why Colin? Why?"  
"Ma'am," cut in a forensic investigator. Sandra looked up to them. "He died of a head injury…something metal most definitely was the weapon."  
"How long was dead?"  
"A day, maybe two at most." came the answer. Sandra sighed once more and then tried to piece things together. Her mind was spinning with ideas. Could Harry have done this before his arrest? She wasn't sure. Could Colin have killed himself? It seemed unlikely. Was someone else involved? Again, she wasn't sure. Nothing was piecing together for Sandra and while Harry was in hospital, the case was seemingly at a standstill. She was certain now that Colin was not Jasper's killer, she'd been sure for a while, but finding his body made the idea even more concrete in her mind. Sandra just hoped it would all be over soon, not for her sake and not for her team's but Corinne's. She was still out there dying and it was a race against the time to get her answer before it was too late…


	8. Chapter 8

NEW TRICKS:

THE CHOO-CHOO CHOKE:

Chapter 8

* * *

Brian sat at the beside of Harry White's hospital bed. White was resting and just re-cooperating while Brian eyed him up closely. There were two uniformed officers at the bedside too and they made Brian feel slightly nervous for some odd reason, but he soon focused on what he was doing. He had been looking at CCTV footage on his laptop once again. This time he was focusing on footage of Harry driving on his way home the night Jasper died. Harry had mentioned he had to drive past the night clubs and bars where Jasper used to go ever night and Brian thought this was something that needed looking at. From looking at some of the case notes, Brian noted that Harry drove a red Ford Escort at the time of Jasper's death and according to DVLA records, he still had an Escort, but this one was now silver.  
"Hmmm," thought Brian as he looked at the footage closely. There focused on the nightclub, Brian observed every single car that passed by the club. "Transit van, a Renault, Austin Allegro…" he muttered to himself. He slowed down the footage and looked even more closely when all of a sudden he could see a Ford Escort going by the club through the grainy footage. This was a silver one and it passed by twice more within the space of ten minutes. "Strange…" Brian then mumbled. He looked at the notes once again, White's car at the time of the incident was a red Ford Escort and this was a silver one. The registration plate of the red Escort was T50 AXB and looking closely at the footage of the silver Escort, Brian could make out certain letters of it. "T….I think it's 50. Hmm, not sure, but it ends in B." he said. Brian paused the footage and looked even more closely the silver Escort's registration plate. The footage was very grainy and the fact it was night time wasn't helping, but he was sure it was near enough the same. But how could it be? Had the license plate been switched or had the red Escort been repainted? Whatever it was, Brian was sure it was Harry's car and it certainly meant that once he was better, questions on this would be coming…

A pathologists report had been conducted on Maklov's body and it was confirmed that he had died from several blunt traumas to the side of his head. For Sandra, it was just a sign that this case had really gone too far for her. It was just a simple investigation at the start, one that UCOS deals with on regular occasions, but now it had descended into something else – something just wrong. Maklov had been wrongly implicated at the time of the original investigation and now during the reopening, he'd died.  
"What's wrong?" asked Steve to Sandra who was just sipping a cup of tea slowly back at the office.  
"I don't know." she replied. "Nothing is just working for us though, is it? First Harry goes weak at the crucial part of it all and then Maklov is found dead, I mean what are we supposed to do now?"  
"We find whoever did it." said Steve. "I'm gonna interview Sidney in a moment, he's recovered now from the shock of the discovery."  
"Go on," sighed Sandra. "You don't need me." Steve just obliged and left Sandra all alone in her office. She just stared at her computer and then just sipped her tea again.

Gerry had now joined Brian at the hospital and the pair just sat in the canteen mulling things over.  
"He's not improving is he?" asked Gerry.  
"I don't know, he seemed pretty fine if you ask me." replied Brian. "I gather you got my text about the car?" he then asked. Gerry searched for his phone and looked at the message again.  
"Yeah, 'Cur could be Hrry's in footage. Come to hospital.' I think that explains it all." he smiled back.  
"I am pretty sure it is his car though. The registration pretty much matches up and it fits in with the time period of it all." Brian then began to explain. "I don't know how it was missed before but once Harry is better, it's definitely being mentioned in the interview."  
"Does Sandra know about it?"  
"No, not yet anyway." admitted Brian. "She's too pre-occupied with Colin's body being found which is understandable."  
"Why is everything going wrong with this case do you think?" Gerry then asked. "I've never known one to go like this before."  
"It's just one of those things," said Brian before a lady then called out his name in the canteen.  
"Mr Lane?" the voice called out again. Brian signalled the lady over. "Ah, Mr Lane." she said.  
"What is it?" Brian asked.  
"I've been told to let you know that Mr White is all fine now, he's recovered suitably enough and were releasing him later today." the lady answered.  
"You'll get to ask that question a lot sooner then," smiled Gerry as Brian showed a slight grin too. He knew his evidence was crucial and it was about to used sooner rather than later.

"So then Mr Travers," began Steve in his interview with Sidney. "Why did you do that search? I did advise you against it."  
"I couldn't just let it rest like it has been doing so," said Sidney simply. "I had to do something, just for the sake of Jasper. It is him that this is being done for after all." he added. Steve agreed.  
"Would you know as to any reason why Colin was found naked?" he then asked.  
"How should I know?" said Sidney. "I didn't expect to find him at all so to find him like that was something else. I sort of wish I hadn't crossed over that gate now."  
"You did though and because of that we found Colin sooner than we probably would have." soothed Steve. "Despite going against what I said, you did an alright thing."  
"Colin's dead though. It's not right, none of this is." sighed Sidney. Steve was going to continue his questions when there was a knock at the interview room door.  
"Come in." Steve called out. Sandra appeared and she looked concerned.  
"Steve," she said in her stern authoritative voice. He immediately pulled back a questioning look. "I'd suggest ending this interview now, we've got a confession to Colin's murder."  
"What, who?" he asked.  
"The tea lady," replied Sandra.  
"Emily?" said Sidney in shock. Sandra just nodded her head.

Emily was a nervous lady, she'd clearly not been in trouble like this before probably ever in her life. She looked like a kind sweet old lady but now he had confessed to murder. It was just another case of nothing making sense to Sandra. She and Steve just sat opposite Emily in the interview room while she gathered her thoughts.  
"He was an idiot at times." she began. "But we did generally get along. He had his good days and his bad ones, Jasper often kept control of which one he was from day to day and thankfully that was the good side mostly. Colin was a drinker though,"  
"A heavy drinker?" asked Sandra.  
"No, he just had too many in one go." continued Emily. "I honestly thought that was what it was when I found him like he was in his birthday suit. I thought he'd just been drinking and that was that."  
"Forgive me for not being quite with it," said Steve. "But how does this lead to you killing him exactly?"  
"He was mad, out of control when I found him." answered Emily. "I often walked along the lines as a comfort thing when we closed for the day or it when it was Christmas. It was just my thing to do; in effect I'm second in command and with Harry elsewhere I just took it upon myself to make sure things were all locked up and closed away from the public. I noticed the gate was open a little and assumed Harry had left it so I went to close it. I saw something move though when I went to close it and went inside and looked for it, we've had kids hide in there before and obviously I didn't want them there."  
"Is that where you found Colin?" Sandra asked. Emily nodded.  
"He was just odd, out of it as some would say. He was naked and I just tried to calm him down as he was shouting and swearing at me. He grabbed me several times too, out of anger I think, but it was still odd. He kept mentioning about Jasper but he wasn't clear, I think he could have been drunk, and then he just pushed me to the floor. He got right up close to me with a face full of anger – he'd pinned me down as well, he was a strong lad. I couldn't get free and I just tried reaching around for something with my left hand, I don't know what it was, but I just hit it against him. I was only meaning to get him off me but he fell silent. He was bleeding and not moving."  
"So you didn't think to call out for help?" asked Steve.  
"No, I panicked and ran; I locked up the gate and just went as if nothing had happened. I tried to convince myself it hadn't. I murdered him though, didn't I?"  
"Sounds more like manslaughter if I'm honest," admitted Sandra. "You didn't mean it, but you ended a life Emily, why?"  
"I already told you." she countered.  
"See, I don't believe that part." said Sandra. "I believe you found him as he was, yes that seems fine. He could have been drunk too, that is fine, but I don't believe he would have tried and attacked you. Colin was in a vulnerable state obviously; a case involving his former partner's death is always going to be hard but in his case more so. Do you get along with people who are gay by any chance, Emily?"  
"Is it their own choice of course, but personally I do not believe it is right. I had a very old-fashioned upbringing. Some would call it bigoted in today's day and age." she replied.  
"It's funny how both you and Harry seem to think the same way then," pointed out Sandra. "Because if you ask me, Harry knew he was going to be arrested and by this point had taken Colin – of course I do not know if that's the case – but if it is, I think he wanted you to finish things off."  
"Nonsense." huffed Emily.  
"I don't think so," retorted Sandra. "I think that just like Harry, Colin's relationship with Jasper was too much for you to cope with. Knowing he was in a vulnerable position like he is now made it all the more easy to do what you did. I think you hit him again and again and again because of who he was."  
"I hit him once!" protested Emily.  
"How come the pathologist's report says he was hit multiple times, three or four approximately. Care to explain?" Sandra then asked. Emily didn't reply. "You hit him because Harry couldn't as he was with us. You finished off for him, didn't you?"  
"Yes…" Emily then admitted in a timid voice. "He was there, I had to. Harry was going to sack him anyway, the case's reopening had damaged him, but deep down Harry didn't want to sack a good employee. It was too much though."  
"Why was Colin naked?"  
"I don't know you'll have to ask Harry that. All I did was hit him, he was drunk and took advantage of that, I made him feel less pain than he would have normally, was that wrong?" she asked.  
"You killed a man because he was gay, I'd say that's wrong." said Sandra. "Did you have a hand in Jasper's death? I wouldn't put it past you now…"  
"No," protested Emily. "All I did was this and I regret it. But I had to do it. I had to." she added with a little murmur of those last three words again and again. Steve was unmoved by it all but Sandra couldn't believe it. All she could say now was Colin's killer was apprehended and all she could hope for now was that Harry was Jasper's killer. Time was against her with Corinne dying, so she knew things had to be done quick. She just hoped things would be plain sailing from here on in…


	9. Chapter 9

NEW TRICKS:

THE CHOO-CHOO CHOKE:

Chapter 9

* * *

Re-cooperation time for Harry was now at an end. Two days had passed since he had been released from hospital and he was now deemed ready to be interviewed once again. Strickland was to sit in on the interview while Sandra conducted the main interrogation – the fact they already had one murder attached to Harry was good, but to find out if he murdered Jasper too was now the aim. Harry sat nervously in the interview room this time with legal assistance at his side. He instantly perked up once Sandra and Strickland entered the room.  
"This is becoming somewhat of a habit, isn't it?" he joked. Neither Sandra nor Strickland responded as Sandra then went into the reasonings behind the interview. "So because I admitted to killing Felicity you instantly think that I went on to kill a gay man? Huh, police…says it all." Harry then murmured.  
"We know you often take a route past the clubs and bars where Jasper went, you told us as much," responded Sandra. "And from that we have trawled through CCTV evidence to see if you were about on the night Jasper died. Now our notes make a very clear point that you drove a red Ford Escort at the time of the incident with the license plate T50 AXB."  
"Yeah, and your point is?" quizzed Harry.  
"How come the same registration plate is found on a silver Escort, a silver Escort similar to the one you drive now." Sandra retorted. Harry was silent.  
"Mr White," then said Strickland. "Considering the seriousness of what you have already admitted to, I would advise and so would your legal assistance that you do answer these questions."  
"If you say so," snorted Harry. He paused for a few moments. "That Escort, the silver one is mine, it's the one I currently have. I had the red sprayed into silver not long before Jasper died – I remember things like that."  
"Can you explain why you were seen driving past the clubs three times then? This wasn't in only one direction either Mr White, it was back and forth."  
"Almost as if you were sniffing out prey." chipped in Strickland. Harry didn't respond. He just smiled at Sandra and Strickland, he had them hooked again and he was thriving from it.

Observing from behind the interview room glass were Steve and Gerry – they were both keen to see how Harry was going to be after what had happened previously. Brian however was in the UCOS office on his laptop viewing the CCTV footage once more. He'd informed Sandra about the Escort link in the intervening days but the more and more he looked at the footage now, the more and more convinced he was that there were two occupants in the silver car. He zoomed in closely and could definitely make out the outline of the driver – presumed to be Harry – but there was also a similar outline in the passenger seat. Brian thought it was a passenger, but it could have easily just been a shadow lingering over the seat. It was bothering him and however much he looked at the footage, it wasn't helping. He went to his office phone and called the tech people once more to enhance the footage. He knew he was going to be waiting a little while, but if he was right, he knew he was onto something…

"Mr White, it would really be appreciated if you answer our questions." Sandra reiterated for the umpteenth time to Harry but he wasn't listening. She wanted to end the interview there and then but Strickland persuaded her to carry on.  
"If you can go over that night for yourself once again, Mr White…" Strickland then said. "Just once more…"  
"How many bloody times do I need to say that I drove home?" Harry asked incredulously. "That is what I did. I told you then at the time and I'm telling you now."  
"CCTV footage would indicate otherwise," pointed out Strickland. "What exactly were you doing Mr White?"  
"Passing through."  
"Of course…" said Sandra sarcastically. "We have you down on footage driving around in your vehicle at the time of all of this."  
"Do you know it's me for certain?" Harry asked. Sandra fell silent.  
"Were working under the presumption at the current time because you aren't helping us," Strickland explained. "Now, could anyone else have been driving it?"  
"No, it's my car…"  
"Not even Emily Norwich?" Sandra then asked. Harry raised an eyebrow. "I ask about her Harry for one simple reason, she's admitted to killing Maklov – she said you were going to sack Colin – so were you going to do the same to Jasper but let Emily do it then?"  
"Bollocks, utter crap and bollocks…" smiled Harry. "Emily would admit to anything the dozy cow, she's got a thing for me, I don't blame her, but she acts like were a couple – we never have been. She probably did kill Colin but I didn't tell her to."  
"I'm not sure whether I can take your word for it though," said Sandra. "To be fair you did lie about having any involvement in Felicity's death for quite some time before admitting, so is history repeating itself? If so, I'll come back in a couple of hours and then we'll get the confession to Jasper's killing." she added as she glared intensely at Harry.  
"Emily had no involvement with Jasper," Harry then said after a long moment of silence in the interview room. "I told her to get rid of Maklov because I knew you were coming for me. We're both old fuddy-duddies and couldn't take to working with gay people everywhere – it was bad enough driving past their kind of places each night – so to have to deal with it at work was just too much."  
"Why get rid of Colin now though?" asked Strickland. "It's been 12 years there of there about since Jasper's death."  
"He was getting tetchy again, I think he was drinking a bit again – he did have too much too often – and anything you said to him was turned into this case once more. He was getting to the point of not wanting to come in anymore, I couldn't deal with that. I didn't want to sack him though, it's what I had to do though, but I got round it."  
"How?"  
"One night after work, I just took him out for a drink down the pub and let him cry it all out – I don't think his partner allows it," continued Harry. "He got drunk again, but that's what I had planned and I took him back to the line, to the salvage yard, there's an old shed out there and I put him in there. I took away his clothes as I didn't want him to hang himself – he had a belt, shoe laces, the lot so I stopped him doing that, he'd mentioned about suicide so I tried to stop it. I locked him in the shed and left him there. I let Emily know as I do trust her and told her to keep an eye on things. Whatever she did from there was all of her own choosing."  
"You left no command to kill Colin then?" asked Strickland. Harry shook his head.  
"I just wanted him to be his old self again – I didn't want to sack him but I don't think we could have done anything for him. What happened with Emily happened."  
"She said he was mad…" said Sandra simply. Harry agreed.  
"Your case sent him that way – for his own sake, I do wish you hadn't have reopened this case." he then said.  
"We would never have found Felicity without this case being reopened," Sandra pointed out. "You'd have been a free man, obviously you know you will be going down for that but the question still remains Harry, did you have any involvement in Jasper's death?" Harry looked somewhat nervous again, like he had done before admitting to Felicity's murder. Sandra could sense his delay in responses were a sign of something, an admission possibly, to be on their way. Harry hunched towards the desk, almost as if he was about to lean in and tell a secret.  
"It wasn't just me…" he whispered. "There was another…."  
"Who?" asked Sandra.  
"Zack," answered simply. "Zack King…"


	10. Chapter 10

NEW TRICKS:

THE CHOO-CHOO CHOKE:

Chapter 10

* * *

Zack King's name had thrown Sandra. She hadn't expected it at all and could tell that Harry was telling the truth. There was none of his swagger this time, none of his overly smiley face, it was just plain old Harry – the one she had first met not too long ago. Back then he seemed a sweet enough man but now she knew he had murdered one person and possibly a second.  
"How was he involved?" Sandra then asked as Harry just looked on blankly. He seemed to blink with each word Sandra uttered.  
"Quite a fair bit…some would call it 50/50 – I'd agree with that." he answered simply.  
"Was it all planned in advance?"  
"No…we wanted to just let him know of our problems."  
"Did Zack have the same issues that you did with Jasper then?" quizzed Sandra. Harry shook his head.  
"To be honest, I don't know his proper reasoning behind joining me on it but he seemed like he wanted to do something to help me."  
"And with him now dead, we'll never know will we?" asked Strickland rhetorically.  
"No…" said Harry. "I think it was what we did that led to him you know jumping...can't be sure though."  
"What we're the pair of you up to on the night of Jasper's death?" asked Sandra. "It would be nice to get a definitive answer at last…"  
"We drove back together, me and Zack, we were going to mine to plot it, to actually put something together, but I dropped Zack off at the club and let him bring Jasper to us," began Harry. "I just drove back and forth in the bits inbetween where Zack got him really drunk – we just had to get him like that to do something."  
"And what was the something?" Strickland probed.  
"Assurance…we wanted him to learn that it wasn't right to be who he was in anyway at all on the Oak line. We'd tolerated it enough by then but it had just gone too far."  
"By we, I imagine you mean yourself. You said Zack didn't mind…" pointed out Sandra. "I can't quite believe Mr King would just do this with no qualms at all."  
"I told you, he was willing…"  
"And why was that?"  
"He just was…"  
"I don't believe you."  
"Huh…" mumbled Harry. "His girlfriend had cheated on him and it was someone who my lad had known. I said we'd sort them out if he'd help me here."  
"And did you?"  
"No, he did it himself. The poor bloke involved lost five teeth in the process and his nose ain't been the same since…this was all after what happened with Jasper though."  
"Carry on then Mr White…" said Sandra as Harry appeared to continue his long confession.

The techies had been back in contact with Brian and enhanced the footage even more – it proved there was someone else in the vehicle, Brian could tell it was a man. He didn't know of Harry's admission though and went into the interview viewing room looking closely at him. Gerry and Steve were still there looking on.  
"There's someone else with him in the car on the night…" whispered Brian to Gerry.  
"We already know…" explained Steve. "Harry's been surprisingly forthcoming….too forthcoming some would say."  
"How can we be sure he's telling the truth then?" asked Brian.  
"Look at the eyes," said Gerry. "It's like they always tell you, the eyes just don't lie. They always keep the truth in them and his eyes are directly poised on Sandra – he didn't do that before when he was lying for a little bit."  
"Has he said who it was?"  
"Zack, the bloke who topped himself…." answered Steve. "Don't ask why, we're none the wiser…" Brian was just as puzzled as the others but listened intently on…

"I'm surprised it just took this long if I'm honest," admitted Harry quite casually to Sandra and Strickland. "Twelve years, blimey…then again 9/11 was making a bit more of the headlines wasn't it? Unless Jasper had been dead famous, this wouldn't have got in the way of that story…the world was still reeling even on the 19th."  
"Did you plan this intentionally?" asked Strickland. "Pass it off as if you didn't have a plan to Zack but you always had a plan in the end?" Harry nodded.  
"We, _I_ wanted him as drunk as possible so that he could just be taught a lesson. He needed it getting into his head what was so wrong about him. Like my son, it was wrong and I never got the chance to get it out of him, so this was the opportunity."  
"All of this because you didn't do so with your son?" asked Sandra.  
"Are you parent?" asked Harry. Sandra shook her head. "Then you'll never know will you…I wanted a son for as long as a I could, a proper son, one that would mean the world to me and he did until he told me _that_ news. That broke my heart and then for him to die just like that in a weird way was a relief – I didn't have to live with the fact I had a gay son, I'd have been mocked from here to eternity."  
"And you can be sure of that?" asked Strickland. Harry nodded.  
"Of course I know that's the case," Harry then remarked. "It's why I had to stop Colin and Jasper being as open as they were. It could have driven people away from the line, we needed the tourists more than we needed those two…something had to be done. So, once Zack had got him drunk, I let them slowly begin to walk off and I followed them. I'd told Zack to stall Jasper as long as he could once they were out of range of the clubs and bars. I soon caught up and got out of the car – Jasper was that drunk I don't think he recognised me at first – and I just hit him. I told him everything I'd wanted to but never had the guts to say and I just kept hitting him."  
"Where was this exactly?"  
"Some side-street – you wouldn't have seen us unless you were looking on purpose." answered Harry. "From what I can remember Zack just watched on as Jasper couldn't do anything, his responses were that slurred and slow I got my message out to him quick. He was looking hazy so we put him in the car and drove back to the line – I was going to keep him where Colin was kept but he kept flailing about so we just put him on the line itself."  
"This doesn't account for the marks around his neck, you've hit him so far, that's all…" pointed out Sandra. Harry paused.  
"I did that when I sent Zack away but I did it so he'd pass out – he was alive when I left him, I swear." protested Harry. "I did put my hands around his neck but only to make him sleep for the time being. I was going to return to work early in the morning and ensure he got the message – stop being like he was and then I'd be happy – don't and then he'd be out of the door. He must've died overnight obviously…" Sandra and Strickland just stared at one another, it seemed like that was that. Jasper had died under Harry's doing, but not intentionally. "I never meant to kill him…" reiterated Harry. "I expected some kind of GBH charge or something, but the fact it never came meant I just kept silent. Jasper was the one who was more likely to listen so that's why I chose him over Colin at the time, but it just went wrong." he added. "Zack was only there as someone to get him in the right conditions – he'd have never been like that if I was at the club – I wouldn't have been seen dead there anyway, not my kind of thing."  
"So you admit to everything, the assault, the planning but not murder?" Sandra then queried for her own confirmation. Harry nodded.  
"I didn't mean for him to die, I swear…I'm sure you've known that for some time…" he added. Sandra just shook her head.  
"We've been looking for a murderer, you pre-planned everything Harry and it led to death, but I can't have the say in this sadly, that's up to courts to decide. All we can do is arrest you under the suspicion of murder and or possible manslaughter of Jasper Monif." she then explained.  
"Do it then," said Harry simply as he looked like a drained man. Everything about him looked weak but that was the strain of everything finally coming out thought Sandra. He'd at least said what he'd had to say…

"At least its solved…" said Sandra to the others some time later in the office. "Harry killed Jasper, he didn't mean to though…"  
"I still can't be sure of that…" murmured Gerry.  
"Nor me," said Steve.  
"And me," added Brian.  
"It is up to the court though, we can't delve any further. We have a confession, that's our work done…" sighed Sandra as Strickland then appeared into the office.  
"Good work everyone," he said. "Sandra especially, he looked unlikely to give at one stage in the interview, but well done all the same."  
"Thank you, sir…" smiled Sandra. "Has Corinne been informed yet?"  
"Ah," stumbled Strickland. "That's why I came down here. When I got back to my office I was informed that Corinne died last night. She'd been hanging on for some time…I'm so sorry to tell you…"  
"Oh god…" mumbled Sandra. "If only Harry hadn't you know collapsed then we could have got the answer so much sooner…"  
"We'll never know that for certain though, will we?" asked Strickland. "Besides, she knew it was being looked at so I'm sure she was content in some respect about it. Jasper wasn't being forgotten about…"  
"No, I suppose that's true…" agreed Sandra as she then fell silent.  
"Pub then?" Gerry then asked out of nowhere. "You can come along too if you want sir…" he added to Strickland.  
"Maybe this one time…" he smiled. "Sandra, what about you?"  
"No," she said simply. "I'm fine, have a lads night out…do it for me." she added as the others left together. Sandra felt really down – Corinne didn't get to know what happened to Jasper and that made her feel so sad. If only it had been solved so much sooner thought Sandra, then she could have told Corinne herself, instead she was just standing lonely in the office. "I can't do this…" she muttered to herself as she then gathered her things and left the office.

"Detective Superintendent," said Sidney as he answered his front door. "What is it?"  
"Can I just come in?" she asked. Sidney obliged and let her in. Instantly as Sandra walked through the hall she saw photos of Jasper happy and well and full of life. It was just such a nice thing after everything the case had brought up. "You're keeping him alive aren't you?" she asked to Sidney.  
"I have to, with no family to do that, someone has to…I heard about his aunt this morning by the way." he answered.  
"It's a real shame," said Sandra. "Because we've got who did it now, we just didn't do it in time for her sadly. I was going to pop over to her home and see myself what photos of Jasper were around, but I thought it was better to come here. This is the stage of his life I've known about the most and it's only right I feel."  
"He's never truly gone Detective Superintendent," said Sidney.  
"Sandra, call me Sandra please…" pointed out Sandra with a faint smile.  
"He meant a lot to many people Sandra, Colin especially, and it is only right we remember him as he was. Whoever did what they did and why ever they did it doesn't matter now as he's at rest, finally. Jasper can be himself again, not a murder victim, he can be Jasper Monif, a great friend and boyfriend to Colin Maklov." said Sidney.  
"Beautiful words Sidney…" smiled Sandra.  
"He was and still is my friend, I won't forget him…" he added.  
"Do you what; I don't think I will either…" smiled Sandra. "If you don't mind, go on, tell me a story or two about him…I'm sure he'd have liked that." she then requested. Sidney agreed and as the pair settled down in the living room, calm had been restored and peace was now there for Jasper….for Sandra it was one of those days where she felt immense pride in bringing closure to people who have been suffering for so long. "Good old Jasper," she thought. "Gold old Jasper…be happy once again…"


End file.
